An argument for more ethics funding
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Do lobbyists have too much influence on Georgia’s legislature?
Ethics advocates say a state agency doesn’t have enough money to really answer the question. That’s why they called on state lawmakers today beef up funding.
The Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform says the State Ethics Commission had 3 investigators and 3 auditors in 2008 to look into ethics complaints. The Alliance says cases were resolved that year. Since then, the Commission got a new name. But the Alliance says the group also lost man power. With 1 staff attorney and 1 auditor, it has a backlog of 135 cases.
“Their budget has been so cut,” said Common Cause Georgia executive director William Perry.
Perry, an Alliance member, accuses state lawmakers of crippling the agency.
“They are so understaffed and underfunded that they’re not able to do the job that is laid out for them by law,” said Perry.
The Governor’s budget proposal calls for an extra $58,000 for the group now called the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. However, the Alliance argues that’s not enough and wants the Commission’s funding restored to 2008 levels. No one from the Commission itself got back to WABE by deadline.
Meanwhile, at least 6 different ethics reform plans are up for consideration at the legislature this year.
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